1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device to be used as a ancillary machine of a video game device or other entertainment system or as a portable small game machine etc., an operation panel of that device, and an operation method for that device.
2. Background of the Invention
A conventional video game device is made with a detachable memory card device. With a video game device of this type, data stored in the video game device is stored in the memory card device, and data can be read from the video card device and transferred to the video game device as needed.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the main part of a memory card device that can be attached to and detached from such a conventional video game device.
Memory card 10 has a control means 11 for controlling its operation, a connector 12 for connecting to a terminal provided in a slot of the video game device, and a nonvolatile memory 16 for storing data. Connector 12 and nonvolatile memory 16 are connected to control means 11.
Control means 11 is constructed using, for example, a microprocessor (labeled as such in the diagram). For nonvolatile memory 16, an EEPROM or other flash memory may be used.
FIG. 1B shows the control items of control means 11 of said memory card device 10. As shown in FIG. 1B, a conventional memory card device 10 has had only a main unit connection interface 11afor connecting to the main unit of the video game device, and a memory interface 11bfor inputting and outputting data to and from a nonvolatile memory.
Memory card devices of the same type are constructed so as to be attachable to and detachable from information devices other than video game devices.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a conventional video game device to and from which a memory card device can be attached and detached.
In a conventional video game device 1, a main unit 2 is housed in a roughly square-shaped housing and has a disk loading unit 3 in its middle. Loaded on the disk loading unit 3 is an optical disk as a recording medium on which are recorded application programs for video games. Also provided on main unit 2 are a reset switch 4 for arbitrarily resetting the game, a power switch 5, a disk operation switch 6 to be used for loading and unloading an optical disk on and from disk loading unit 3, and, for example, two slots 7A and 7B.
Memory card device 10 is inserted into at least one or the other of slots 7A and 7B, and data, for example, the results of games executed on video game device 1, is written into nonvolatile memory 16.
Moreover, multiple controllers not pictured can be connected to said slots 7A and 7B, allowing multiple users to play a competitive game simultaneously.
Recently, thought has been given to portable electronic devices to be used as ancillary machines for video game devices and other information devices. Like the above-described memory card device 10, this new portable electronic device is used by being inserted into slot 7A or 7B of video game device 1 (the host machine), and the necessary data is downloaded to it. After the data is downloaded, it can be detached from the video game device and used as a portable small-size game machine, etc.
Such a new portable electronic device has operation switches on the device main unit and an operation panel that covers these operation switches. Operation buttons for operating the operation switches by pressing are mounted on the operation panel, and the user enjoys games by pressing these operation buttons.
In a portable electronic device having such a structure, it is desirable from the standpoint of operability that the mode of the operation buttons correspond to the content of their operations.
However, if for example the operation content of the operation switches varies depending on the program that is downloaded from the host machine, it is difficult, with a specified operation panel of a single type, to cause the mode of the operation buttons to correspond to the content of each operation.
And if operation panels having operation buttons of different sizes and heights, etc. or operation panels having a different color or feel, etc. can be arbitrarily selected according to the user""s tastes, the degree of satisfaction by the user will increase, and further demand can be stimulated.
It is an object of this invention, which was devised in consideration of these circumstances, to satisfy user tastes and improve operability by allowing the operation panel to be selected arbitrarily.
In order to attain the above and other objects of the present, a portable electronic device of the present invention includes a main unit having operation switches, and an operation panel that is mounted rotatably on the main unit and has operation buttons by which one presses operation switches. The operation panel is freely detachable from the main unit and replaceable with another separate operation panel.
Because operation panels can thus be replaced, it is possible to have multiple types of operation panels, and one can select operation panels that differ in the shape of their operation buttons and other features, and mount them on the main unit.
This invention can also be embodied by an operation panel. That is, the operation panel of this invention, which is an operation panel that is rotatably mounted on the main unit in a portable electronic device, has operation buttons by which one presses operation switches, and is constructed to be detachable from the device main unit and replaceable. Here, operability can be improved if the operation buttons are formed in shapes to fit their mode of use.
Also, the method of operating the portable electronic device according to the present invention is a method of operation of a portable electronic device that has a main unit having operation switches and an operation panel that is mounted rotatably on and detachably from the main unit and has operation buttons by which one presses the operation switches, comprising the steps of selecting arbitrarily multiple types of operation panels whose operation buttons are of different shapes, mounting them on the main unit, and pressing the operation switches of the main unit via the operation buttons of a selected operation panel.